UNDP and Fiji Reaffirm Commitment to SDGs
The Fijian Parliament is now a strong institution that, is now called upon by other Pacific Parliaments to share its experiences and expertise. Levan Bouadze UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative
Fiji’s commitment towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 have been recognised through the enhanced partnership and support provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji. The UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative Levan Bouadze, took up the office in July this year.
He comes with unique leadership roles and wealth of experience in areas of humanitarian service and development programmes. Mr Bouadze administers the UNDP Programme in Pacific Island Countries, which is uniquely placed to help implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its work in some 170 countries and territories. The UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji is working together with the Government to strategically take stock of the progress, challenges and map the way forward for the achievement of the SDGs. made of available resources in pursuit of Fiji’s national plans and goals”, Mr Bouadze said.
This is evident with UNDP’s commitment to working with the Fijian Parliament to strengthen its capacities to better engage in the monitoring of the SDGs implementation.
“UNDP has been a partner of choice for the Fijian Parliament and we have worked together on many issues including the monitoring and implementation of the SDGs. Fiji has been acknowledged globally on several international stages, and to be leading on integrating SDGs into the everyday work of parliament is a result of our collaboration. The Fijian Parliament is now a strong institution that, is now called upon by other Pacific Parliaments to share its experiences and expertise”, he added.
“We look forward to building on this work and bringing together stakeholders, particularly representatives of vulnerable and marginalised groups to work on implanting the national development as well as the SDGs.”
In highlighting the significant success achieved through the UNDP and Fiji partnership, the UNDP Pacific Office will aspire to enhance the mobilisation of resources and funding to enable Fiji and Pacific island countries to progressively achieve the SDGs. “We have had successful programmes in preserving biodiversity and building climate resilience, inclusive and sustainable job creation for vulnerable groups to name a few. In the broader Pacific, UNDP has a sub-regional strategy in place that will run through to 2022, which is aligned to the overall UN Pacific Strategy,” Mr Bouadze said.
“It sets out three broad priority areas for UNDP work that is focused on climate change, disaster resilience and environmental protection; Effective governance for service delivery; and Sustainable and inclusive economic empowerment. Precisely what form this takes, and the balance between the priorities, is what will define our plans and approaches and we will work with governments to agree on a country-by-country basis to align those with national priorities and plans,” he emphasised. Four months into his new role, the Head of the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji is determined to take UNDP’s success to another level in reaching out and empowering lives and building resilient nations.